This invention relates to the mounting of restraint systems on vehicles and more particularly to such a mounting which provides ease of assembly and disassembly of the restraint system and vehicle.
It is known to mount modular restraint systems on vehicle steering wheels by providing the support of the module with a plurality of depending hollow struts or tubular mounting members which are tapped and align with openings through a mounting plate in the hub of the steering wheel and through the hub. Threaded fasteners extend upwardly through the hub and mounting plate openings and thread into the struts to secure the struts to the mounting plate. The threaded fasteners must be threaded into and out of the struts each time that the restraint system module is assembled to and disassembled from the steering wheel.
This invention provides a restraint system mounting which permits a restraint system module to be easily assembled to and disassembled from a vehicle. While it is particularly intended for the mounting of modular driver restraint systems on vehicle steering wheels, it can be used for mounting other types of modular restraint systems on vehicles.
In its preferred embodiment, the mounting system includes a plurality of upwardly extending hollow tubular or annular support members secured within openings in a support member in the base of the hub portion of the steering wheel. The annular members open outwardly to the lower side of the hub portion through openings in the hub portion and support member. The base or mounting member of the driver restraint module includes a like number of depending cylindrical mounting members of a shape and size to be axially inserted in the annular support members to provide interfitted pairs of supporting and mounting members. The interfitted pairs of support and mounting members have aligned chordal or transverse slots or recesses which receive the spring leg of a securement to releasably secure the mounting members against axial withdrawal. The securement is mounted to the annular support member and has the spring leg thereof normally biased into engagement with the ends of the annular support member recess. The spring leg is cammed out of its position within the annular support member recess when the mounting member is inserted therein and snaps back into the mounting member recess and support member recess when the recesses are aligned. Thus, the mounting system provides a blind fastening arrangement, requiring no individual fasteners, such as screws, which can be lost, no tools, and no action on the part of the assembler other than axially inserting the mounting members within respective annular support members to releasably secure the interfitted supporting and mounting members to each other. If necessary to disassemble the restraint module from the steering wheel, a key is inserted through the hub portion and support member openings into an axial slot of the mounting member which traverses the transverse recess thereof. The key cams the spring leg of the securement out of the transverse recess of the mounting member to permit axial withdrawal of the mounting member from a respective annular support member and disassembly of the restraint module from the steering wheel. The spring leg retains the key in place during withdrawal of the mounting ember to thereby permit all of the mounting members to be simultaneously withdrawn.
The primary feature of this invention is that it provides a mounting for restraint systems on vehicles which provides ease of assembly and disassembly without the use of separable fasteners or securements. Another feature is that the mounting includes interfitting supporting and mounting members on the restraint system and on the vehicle which are releasably secured to each other when interfitted without the use of tools or other action on the part of the assembler. A further feature is the annular members on the vehicle are hollow and the cylindrical members of the restraint system are inserted therein to provide pairs of interfitting supporting and mounting members which are releasably attached to each other by resilient means received in recesses thereof which align when the members are interfitted. Yet another feature is that the interfitting supporting and mounting members are disassembled by key means inserted into the interfitting annular members and displacing the resilient means from the recess of the mounting member to permit its withdrawal from the supporting and mounting support member.